Though the news of Arthur Smith becoming the Pittsburgh Steelers’ next offensive coordinator just happened, and we’re still six weeks away from free agency, it’s easy to connect the dots to QB Ryan Tannehill.
Pittsburgh wants quarterback competition. Kenny Pickett will enter camp as the starter but with someone to push him. Ideally, the Steelers want that to be Mason Rudolph, a pending free agent whom coaches and ownership have expressed a desire to re-sign. If they can agree to terms, the conversation ends. It’s Pickett versus Rudolph, see you in Saint Vincent.
What if Rudolph walks? Be it over money, opportunity, or he just got tired of being Charlie Brown and the Steelers pulling the football away from him like Lucy. If he’s out the door, the Steelers’ search begins. It might end with Tannehill.
Sure, Mitch Trubisky is technically under contract for 2024. But with a roster bonus and *gestures everywhere* how he played last season, he’s not competition. Odds are strong he won’t make it to training camp. Which leaves Pickett as the only quarterback we can guarantee will report to Latrobe.
Enter Tannehill. Maybe. His best years came with Smith in 2019 and 2020. A first-round pick in 2012, Tannehill, a former college wide receiver, didn’t pan out in Miami. Following the 2018 season in which he went 5-6 with meager production (17 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 64.2 completion rate) the Dolphins turned the page.
He was traded to Tennessee, linking up with Smith in his first year as the Titans’ OC, replacing Matt LaFleur after he became the Green Bay Packers’ head coach. Success was immediate. Tannehill had a career year, completing 70.3 percent of his throws (only Drew Brees and Derek Carr were better) with 22 touchdowns, six interceptions, and four more scores with his legs. Named the league’s Comeback Player of the Year. Tennessee made the playoffs and the AFC Championship Game before blowing a lead to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The next year was even better. Starting all 16 games, Tannehill threw for 33 touchdowns as the Titans went 11-5, though they were bounced in the Wild Card Round by the Baltimore Ravens. Smith left for Atlanta the following season with Tannehill praising the job he did with him and the team.
“He’s a great coach all the way around. Everything that you look for in a coach and a leader with a great offensive mind, he does a good job with,” he told the NFL Network’s Mike Giardi in January 2021.
That important piece of praise connects Tannehill to the Steelers present day.
Since Smith left the Titans, Tannehill has tried to stay afloat. Battling age and injury, he sprained his ankle in 2023 and lost his job to Will Levis. With a new coaching staff and free agency looming, Tannehill won’t be back in Tennessee.
It makes Pittsburgh a fit. Not that Tannehill should be the starter. He’s 36, regressing, and injuries are taking their toll. He also had Derrick Henry in Tennessee, which certainly doesn’t hurt a quarterback’s ability to succeed. But if Rudolph is out, the Steelers will need another veteran to push Pickett. Tannehill knows Smith, his system, and has shown he can succeed in it. He won’t cost much, certainly less than whatever it would take for Kirk Cousins or Justin Fields (who would be starters anyway, they wouldn’t be brought in to compete) and won’t cost the pick and controversy of a draft pick, not to mention the unknown of what a rookie brings.
Signing Tannehill is sorta like hiring Smith. Not super exciting but practical. Best case, Rudolph returns, and the Steelers don’t even have to consider this option. And Tannehill wouldn’t be the only relatively cheap veteran out there. There’s Gardner Minshew II and Jacoby Brissett among others to consider. But Tannehill could serve what the Steelers need. A veteran quarterback who knows the system and can push Pickett enough all with the Steelers hoping Pickett plays well enough that Tannehill doesn’t have to ever see the field. That’s a perfect world for Pittsburgh.
